Books are usually subdivided into a series of chapters or similar parts which a reader may desire to individually reference. Where the chapters of such a book are titled as a sequence of numbers, e.g. Chapter 1, Chapter 2, etc., conventional tabs may be mounted at the outside margin of the page at the start of each such part to allow the reader to find that part quickly. Each tab bears a number corresponding to the number of the part or chapter marked. The tabs are commonly set in rows along the outside edge of the book, with each successive tab set beneath and to one side of the preceding tab.
Problems arise using such tabs with large books in which the chapters or parts have names or titles which are commonly referred to by readers in lieu of numbers. One such book is the bible, which in its Protestant version has 66 parts (called books) and in its Catholic version has 73 books. Numbering these books in sequence from 1-66 or 1-73 is of little help because few readers can remember which book has which number, and the reference system in common use for the bible utilizes the names of the books, together with chapter and verse, for example, II Timothy 2:15.
A variety of bible indexing systems have been used to improve ease of reference to the bible. Such systems generally include a series of adhesive tabs which can be secured to the outer margin of the page corresponding to the start of each book of the bible. Each tab has the appropriate book name on it, in full or abbreviated form. This allows the user to turn to the desired book after scanning the row of tabs to find the right name. Such indexing systems are useful, but still require the user to scan a series of names or titles to find the desired title. Moreover, the book names on the tabs are not in any systematic order, such as alphabetical order. Presently available bible indexing systems are thus of limited usefulness.
The tabs used in known bible indexing systems also have certain drawbacks. The pages of very large books such as the bible tend to be quite thin. Ordinary tabs when mounted on such pages are likely to cause the page to tear upon repeated use. Installation of such tabs is also difficult. The tabs are mounted initially on a peel-off backing sheet. The user must start the peel-off operation manually by picking at the sheet until the backing starts to separate from the tab label. This is a tedious and cumbersome process.
The user must then install the tabs in orderly rows. Present bible indexing systems provide no means for laying out and spacing the tabs, or provide a measuring strip which is little more than an ordinary ruler, and is only a fraction of the total length of all of the rows of tabs. It is most convenient to install the tabs in reverse order, starting with the last tab near the end of the book and working forward. Using conventional bible indexing systems, it is difficult to install the tabs in this manner and still ensure that the first tab will appear near the upper top corner of the book. One system for addressing this type of problem involves providing the release paper backing of a tab sheet with a marginal scale for ensuring accurate manual placement of the tabs. See, for example, Cunningham U.S. Pat. No. 3,795,982, issued Mar. 12, 1974. This system involves the use of a long tab strip, which may become inconvenient when the number of tabs becomes large.
The table of contents in a bible frequently provides a list of the books of the bible in alphabetical order, together with the starting page number for that book. The table of contents might also include a reference to the number of chapters within the book, and an indication of whether the book is in the New Testament or the Old Testament. This type of index, while useful, still requires the reader to page through the book looking for the page number.
Various indexing systems have been proposed for books generally. Some such systems involve the use of built-in index dividers, in the form of recesses in page edges, projections which extend beyond the outer margin of a page, or tabs which clip onto a page. See, for example, Valencia U.S. Pat. No. 3,561,147, issued Feb. 9, 1971, Friedman U.S. Pat. No. 3,857,587, issued Dec. 31, 1974, Friedman U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,909, issued Jan. 7, 1975, Friedman U.S. Pat. No. 3,877,729, issued Apr. 15, 1975, Mathis U.S. Pat. No. 3,995,389, issued Dec. 7, 1976, and Feng U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,900, issued Sept. 29, 1981. Systems have also been proposed wherein a series of adhesively mountable tabs or markers having indicia such as numbers or colors are provided together with an adhesive backed index page which can be permanently mounted in the book. The index page includes a series of numbered blanks in which the reader is intended to write down the subject matter to be marked by the tab. Horn U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,777 issued Nov. 27, 1979, and Remmey, III U.S. Pat. No. 3,958,816 issued May 25, 1976 exemplify such systems.
Index tabs have been constructed in many different ways. Most such tabs suitable for use in book indexing systems include a portion which folds over a page edge and a portion coated with an adhesive for permanently securing the tab to the page. See, for example, Turner U.S. Pat. No. 4,201,403, issued May 6, 1980, Levi U.S. Pat. No. 4,422,672, issued Dec. 27, 1983, Cunningham U.S. Pat. No. 2,893,144, issued July 7, 1959, Cunningham U.S. Pat. No. 3,070,482, issued Dec. 25, 1962, Cunningham U.S. Pat. No. 3,348,324, issued Oct. 24, 1967, Stanton U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,759, issued Apr. 26, 1977, and Leach U.S. Pat. No. 3,566,522, issued Mar. 2, 1971. A disc-shaped, adhesively backed transparent tab having identifying matter thereon has also been proposed. See, e.g. Thompson U.S. Pat. No. 3,463,515, issued Aug. 26, 1969. Laminated tabs having successive layers of flexible film, adhesive, face stock, and a second adhesive are also known. See, for example, Jeter U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,055, issued May 28, 1985.
Adhesive tabs or labels are frequently manufactured in rows on sheets of release paper backing. See, e.g., Cunningham U.S. Pat. No. 3,805,426 issued Apr. 23, 1974. To facilitate removal of such tabs or labels, such sheets have been provided with slits in the backing near one end of the labels (see Kendrick U.S. Pat. No. 2,883,044 issued Apr. 21, 1959) or with cuts that define stripping tabs (see, e.g. Bishop U.S. Pat. No. 2,679,928 issued June 1, 1954.) These means for aiding peeling off the labels may not always provide for easy, selective removal of one label at a time, as may be needed when applying adhesive tabs to a bible.
The present invention addresses the foregoing problems with known indexing systems and provides an improved book indexing system which is especially suitable for providing a tabbed, indexed bible.